And so it goes...

State TV in Russia. The comments vary from praise to ones calling Russian tv "zombie tv" at a site asking for feedback from Russians about tv that bars Putin opposers. I don't care, one says, I live better now. Another says that the media is all controlled.

As a person with a disability, I've been struck at the utter lack of coverage of disability issues during the many hours of coverage on the 24/7 news stations. So called experts get on and talk for hours about the reality of our political system as of that day - but the content isn't geared toward information. Shouldn't we be voting based on candidates' platforms? Shouldn't we be able to choose the content more?

Am I comparing our system to one where Putin supporters disappear from the air? No, of course not. At least not literally.

But then, on the other hand, doesn't our media with its pundits resemble zombie tv in many ways? Think of the repeated messages, images and the fact that content is chosen by the powers that be. Content driven by viewers? I suppose one could argue that because of advertising, it is to some extent. But if we live in a place that's so free, then why isn't the political coverage more diverse? Why is there only partial coverage of the candidates' talks and, for the most part, short clips like 'bloopers' of apologies, speculative comments, etc.? I know what they say: people want this content, they want to be entertained or they won't watch.

So we're being sold a package, like news to go. One package du jour.

It's the internet, however, that's become more of a voice for the people, with diverse voices speaking up and information available on issues that matter to you as a voter. And, perhaps, in that vein, we can see television as having become somewhat censored in our country, simply because its control is held in the hands of a few driven by economic factors- and freedom about choice of content is incomparable on the web compared to tv which has become predictably - well- zombie-like.

I know Americans are too smart to fall for all of this. But today, of all days, it needs to be said: if we forget that when we watch tv, we're being sold a product and let media control the outcome of elections, then there are a lot more similarities to concepts like state TV than we may want to acknowledge.

And now down to brass tacks for a blog about disability issues. Has there been one day, during all the time that I've seen coverage for these primaries, that deals with disability platforms and issues? No. And I can't be the only one watching who feels this way. What issues are important to you? Have you ever sat and watched this coverage and then gone out to your car and seen the gauge close to empty and sighed because you know what it's going to cost you to fill it?

Yes, we have a lot at stake in this election. I don't want to be sold a package by the media. I want to hear about issues that affect my life. I want to hear about current legislative efforts toward making independent living more possible for disabled people, about efforts toward curbing the price of medical equipment, about better housing and transportation. How many links to disability topics do I have to tv shows? Very few. And for those about legislation or politics, I can't think of any off hand.

And yet how many voters have disabilities, have loved ones or friends with disabilities? Many. Would you like to know about Senator Kennedy's proposed legislation that would help disabled people live better- carefully drafted legislation that would help us afford what we need to work and live with the extraordinary expenses that disability incurs? Check out my legislation tag below, but don't expect coverage of these issues on tv. Don't expect to see a panel discussion or clips from interviews of anyone on the topic on CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, ABC, CBS or NBC- although I'd welcome it. And don't expect the candidates to talk about topics like this because they know what's appearing on tv, they know what clips will get put on to give them coverage, their people know what the media is selling too and what issues to give attention to.

So why am I writing about state tv this week? Oh, I don't know. I do know, however, that we have alternatives, if we choose to support them, like [with]tv.

Who'll answer the phone at 3 a.m.?

Well last night I was up - again - until 2 a.m. doing work.

Why don't I call the White House at 3 a.m. and tell them that I'm still up working - to pay off a wheelchair?

Or maybe tell them about my brother in law, who works two jobs. His schedule looks like this: 6 am to 3 pm at job 1, then 4 pm to 9pm at job 2.

Here's the thing: unlike a lot of issues our country faces, those emergency 3 a.m. calls don't happen every night, but what's telling is that 3 a.m. no longer sounds that late to me.

Blooper Tuesday

So the other day I'm watching TV and I see Mrs. Obama leading Stevie Wonder up a flight of steps to a stage by the hand and I'm thinking "Gee he could fall" and suddenly he does trip and fall down and I'm thinking I hope he's not hurt. However he gets up and in my head I hear the words "There goes the disabled vote"  and I'm  watching Oprah and Caroline Kennedy, the celebs du jour,  up on the stage watching as Stevie approaches, apparently still ambulatory. He's even beginning to grin a little.  

This is why disability platforms in writing are different than disability platforms in real life. 

Of course when I talked to a blind friend of mine after I saw it, she wondered why Stevie doesn't use a guide dog or a cane (perhaps he does at times?) but I noticed he had an assistant with him who was behind him (unfortunately) and I guess what happened is Mrs. Obama offered to assist him but didn't understand what he needed. Maybe Stevie assumed she knew what he needed.

That can be a dangerous assumption.  

Of course people with disabilities are a resilient bunch. We've been dropped before, misled before, and even though the dramatic aspect of possibly taking out Stevie Wonder is all part of the blooper clips that come from primary election madness, there's one thing I know.

Being let down hurts. So vote carefully and wisely today if you haven't already. Don't assume. Anything. We live in a society where we pass legislation like the ADA, then we need another piece of legislation like the ADA Restoration Act seventeen years later.  It's a tricky thing, living with a disability in this political environment. You may not find a candidate with whom you agree with everything. I haven't.  All I know is that there are lots of gaps in the system, lots of issues that need improvement quickly, lots of us struggling no matter what our circumstances and no matter how many times we get up from falling down and grin.  And I want someone who can and will  work toward improvement for the issues that affect people with disabilities. The time is now.

All I can say is that Hillary Clinton understood that a quadriplegic couldn't shake hands. I can't tell you how rare that is in my experience. Oh  -experience.  That.

And since many of us still can't get inside ours,  I find it ironic that the NY Times is running a piece called "Photograph Your Polling Place" where they encourage voters to photograph their local polling places. 

So I submit this photo instead.

[visual description: Stevie Wonder falls down on a flight of steps while holding Mrs. Obama's hand at a rally. Behind Stevie is his assistant trying to stop his fall.]

[visual description: A wheelchair is shown facing a flight of steps with lack of access.]

A Cure for Self Deception

This article discusses the Augustinian method for curing self deception, an article I remembered as I read about the assassination of Bhutto in Pakistan.  These days world news is full of events that shake the balance of power. Some of it is about nuclear power, some about rulers' power - from dictator to democracy, because democracy, despite some peoples' naive beliefs, is not immune from turning into a dictatorship. It only takes apathy. How anyone can remain apathetic in the face of what's going on in the world may be somewhat explained by the reflection of the lights from our latest tech gadgets. But it's a dangerous illusion to believe that our world is far from where Bhutto was assassinated.

Self deception is one of the hardest things to work with spiritually. You can't always tell what your own motivations are for what you're doing, a fact that eludes some people because the outward merit of their actions may appear unassailable. Yet it is the motive we bring that counts in our relationship both to God and others.  How strong a spiritual foundation can anyone build if the motive is wrong or flawed?

None of us are always right or without fault. We can't be. It's an impossible standard. And yet, as humans, we insist on setting each other up for this fallacy by elevating people to positions that are revered and, to our detriment, relying on them to think for us. Sometimes it seems as if a novel thought causes pain to some because they want others to tell them what to think!

This, I think, feeds the self deception of the person who is elevated (who is, I'm afraid, still very human) as well as the follower (who is more capable than he or she may believe).  And so we have the situation in Pakistan and the many problems in our country that apathy has allowed. We hand our power over to others and, sometimes, we abdicate our responsibility in the process.

I pray to God that the world learns more balance  and  that each of us has dignity and equal worth .  Speaking up is the right thing to do since remaining silent in today's world is a dangerous thing - more dangerous than holding ourselves up to the ridicule or criticism of those who, perhaps blind to their own motivations and unwilling to examine them,  act in ways that are not for the good of the whole and try to manipulate us into silence. Because power feeds self deceit - and finding a cure for that will take a greater miracle than any other.

[visual description: A coffin bearing the body of the slain Bhutto is carried by a crowd on the day of her death.]